Railway crossing



J 1930. J. 0. LAsswELL RAILWAY cnossme Filed Aug. 28, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l .3- eZ'D-La55me/Z.

INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY RAILWAY CROSSING Filed Aug. 28, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J .a'fiasswezl.

- INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY.

Patented June 24, 1% 9 JESSE D. LASS\VELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS RAILWAY onossING Application filed August 28, 1923. Serial No. 388,987.

This invention relates to railways and more particularly to a crossing constituting a por.

tion of a track and across which cars moving along intersecting tracks pass at a street intersection.

At the present time it is customary to build a. crossing for intersecting tracks as a unitary structure and when it is necessary to renew a crossing it is ditlicult to do :3 and requires a great deal of time. This is due to the fact tha the entire crossing must be removed at one time and replaced instead of only the portions thereof which have become worn This procedure further causes delays and inconvenience as cars have to be rerouted during the time the crossing is being replaced.

It is therefore one object of this invention to provide a crossing including a base structure adapted to be permanently mounted at intersection and companion sections adapted to rest upon the base and he removably secured thereto so that the sections may be individually removed and new ones set in place very quickly. This saves a great deal of time and expense as the base remains in place and only the upper units which have become worn are removed and they can be very easily and quickly removed and new ones substituted during intervals between times when cars are passing over the crossing. Another object of the invention is to provide a crossing having replaceable upper units which are of a duplicate construction thereby reducing cost'of production and allowing the units to be interchangeably used.

Another object of the invention is to so form the crossing that when the units are set in place they will retain each other in their proper position and allow a car to safely pass 4 over the crossing before securing bolts for the units are applied. This makes it unnecessary to wait until the securing bolts have been put in place before a car may pass over the crossing and allows a crossing to be renewed even when tratlic is the heaviest withconnect rails of a track to webs of the base portion of the crossing, thereby making it unnecessary to provide specialsecuring plates at the junction of the replacement unit with the rails of the track. i

Another object is to allow the inventive idea to be embodied in a frog as well as a crossing and thereby permit a frog which has become worn out to be easil and quickly renewed without disturbing its foundation or lower section. a

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of the crossing with one of the replacement units removed and shown in an elevated position,

Figure 2 is a view showing the crossing partially in section and partially in elevation and supported upon a foundation of concrete or other suitable material,

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of one of the removable units,

Figure a is "a perspective view of a frog formed in accordance with this invention, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the base and renewable upper unit of the frog separated.

The improved crossing constituting the subject matter of this invention is employed at a street intersection to permit cars to pass the intersection either along the rails 1 or 2 and consi'stsof base indicated in general by the numeral 3 and replacement units at which rest upon the base and are securely but releasably fastened to the base in position to form contii'iuations of the rails 1 and 2. The units l are of'duplicate construction and therefore they maybe interchangeably used and one of these units substituted in place of any unit removed from a crossing.

The base consists of a frame rectangular in shape and having side bars 5 which extend in cross relation to each other and project at the corners of the frame. This frame is formed a single casting and each side bar is formed with a web 6 of one half the height of the webs of the rails l and 2 and at the corners of the frame the webs are thickened to form chairs 7 that taper upwardly and have flat upper surfaces flush with the upper edge faces of the webs. .Vhen the crossing is installed the base or frame 3 is set in place at a crossing between the rails 1 and 2 of intersecting tracks and may be supported upon yokes of conventional construction in the usual manner or directly in a track bed and if cement is poured around the crossing this cement which is shown in Figure 2 and indicated by the numeral 8, terminates substantially flush with the upper edges of the webs 6. Before the concrete is poured about the base of the crossing metal plates or straps 9 are bolted against opposite sides of the webs of the base and rails 1 and 2 with portions projecting upwardly above the webs of the base and similar plates or straps 10 are bolted against opposite sides of the webs 6 intermediate the corners of the frame with portions projecting upwardly. It will thus be seen that the frame or base of the crossing will be firmly kept in place where it may remain for an indefinite period and in fact, may never need to be removed.

The upper sections or renewable elements l of the crossing are of duplicate construction and each occupies a corner portion thereof. Each of the replacement elements is formed as a single casting and consists of arms or upper rail sections 11 disposed in cross relation to each other and having its center portion formed as a solid block 12 which tapers downwardly and terminates in a flat under face corresponding in dimensions to the fiat upper faces of the chairs 7 so that when the removable sections are set in place their under faces may be well supported upon the upper faces of the chairs 7 and the lower edge faces of their web 13 rest upon the upper edges of the webs 6. The upper portions of the arms 11 correspond to the heads of the rails 1 and 2 and are formed with grooves 14 which intersect at the center of the block 12 and register with the grooves in the heads of the rails so that when the sections 1 are in place a car may pass over the crossing" in either direction. It should be noted that the arms of the renewable sections are all of the same length and when the sections are in place upon the base contact with the ends of the rails and with each other. 'lherefOre, a section may be set in place above any corner portion of the base and it will sit properly. 1t should be further noted that since a renewable section set in place rests upon the chair and side bars of the base it will be firmly supported and a car may pass over the same before bolts have been passed through the webs of the sections and project ing corner portions of the plates 9 and upper portion of the plates 10. I have therefore provided a crossing consisting of a base or frame adapted to be mounted in a street or track bed as a permanent fixture and renewable upper sections which may be easily set in place and firmly held in proper position relative to the base and adjoined rails. I have further provided a crossing having upper renewable sections which can be easily removed and substitutedwhen necessary without delaying traflic as the renewable sections may be easily lifted out of place one at a time after the bolts passing through their webs have been removed, and new ones immediately set in place as each worn section is removed.

In Figures 4t and 5 there has been shown a frog formed in accordance with this invention. This frog which is used at the intersection of a side track or switch with a main track consists of a base indicated in general. by the numeral 15 and a renewable upper portion 16. The base consists of a block 17 having arms 18 extending diagonally from its ends in diverging relation to each other and having their webs 19 extending one half the height of the webs of rails 20 to which they are secured in end-to-end engagement therewith by plates or straps 21 disposed against opposite side faces of the rails and arms and secured thereto by bolts. Corner portions of the plates 21 project above the webs of the arms 18. This case corresponds to the base or frame of the crossing shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and when set in place constitutes a permanent fixture. The ends of the arms of this base and also the arms or side bars of the base of the crossing may be welded to the ends of the adjoining rails if so desired.

The renewable upper section 16 of the frog is similar in construction to the lowersection or base and consists of a block 22 having a flat under face so that it may rest firmly upon the flat upper face of the block 17. Arms 23 extend diagonally from the corners of the block 22 in diverging relation to each other. The lower edge faces of the webs 2% of these arms are flush with the under face of the block 2' and rest fiat against the upper edge faces of the webs 19 of the base. It will thus be seen that when this removable section is set in place with the ends of its webs fitting between the projecting corner portions of the plates 21, it will be firmly supported and prevented from slipping transversely out of place even if the bolts which are passed through the plate and ends of the webs 26: have not as yet been put in place. Grooves 25 which extends longitudinally of the arms 23 and intersect at a point intermediate the ends of the block 22 are provided to form continuations of the grooves 26 provided in the heads of the rails so that the wheels of a car may safetly move across the frog. I have there fore provided a frog in which the base or lower portion may be set in place in a track bed or street as a permanent portion of a track and an upper portion which may be firmly secured upon the base in operative relation to the rails of the track but easily removed and a new one substituted when necessary without disturbing its base. The crossing and frog shown in the accompanying drawings and described above may be used in connection with the trackage of a street railway or steam railroad and may be used with trackhaving rails provided with grooves to receive the flanges of car wheels or as a crossing or frog for track in which the rails have flat heads instead of being formed with flange-receiving grooves.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a base section consisting of a frame having side bars intersecting to form corner portions and having their ends projecting from corners of the frame, upper removable sections each having crossed arms united at their intersections and of half the length of the side bars of the base whereby the upper sections may be set in place upon the base with their inner ends contacting midway the ends of the side bars and their outer ends terminating at the ends of t 1e side bars of the base, plates secured against opposite side faces of the side bars of said base and projecting therefrom, the arms of the upper sections fitting between said plates, and removable fasteners passed through the plates and arms of the upper sections.

2. A device of the character described comprising a base consisting of a frame having side bars, plates to connect the side bars of said frame to rails in endto end relation thereto secured against side faces of the bars and projecting upwardly therefrom, removable upper sections of duplicate construction resting upon said base and each having arms extending longitudinally upon the bars of the base and having their sides overlapped by said plates, and removable fasteners passed through the plates and bars of the upper sections to releasably hold the upper sections in place.

3. A device of the character described comprising a lower base section consisting of a unitary frame having side bars intersecting and projecting from its corners, duplicate upper removable sections each consisting of crossed bars united at their intersection, the upper sections resting upon the lower sec tion with their bars extending longitudinally upon the bars of the lower sect-ion and having their outer ends flush with the ends of the bars of the lower section and their inner ends contacting midway the ends of the side bars of the lower section, and means to releasably secure the bars of the upper section to the bars of the lower section and join the same to rails. V

i. A device of the character described comprising a lower base section consisting of a unitary frame having side bars intersecting to form corner portions and having their ends projecting from its corners, upper renewable sect-ions each consisting of bars crossed intermediate their ends and united at their intersection, the bars of the lower section being thickened at their intersections to form chairs at the corners of the frame and the bars of the upper sections being thickened at their intersections to form blocks to rest upon the chairs of the lower section when the upper sections are set in place with their inner ends contacting with each other and their outer ends flush with the ends of the bars of the lower section, plates secured against opposite sides of the bars of the lower section and extending upwardly against opposite sides of the bars of the upper sections and projecting from the ends of the bars, and removable fasteners passed through the plates and bars of the upper sections.

5. A device of the character described comprising a base sect-ion consisting of side bars intersecting to form aframe having arms extending from its corners to bear against rails in end to end relation thereto, said bars having webs of less height than the webs of the rails, upperrenewable sections each having arms disposed in crossed relation to each other and having depending webs, said upper sections resting upon the base section with the inner ends of their arms contacting and their outer ends terminating at the ends of the arms of the base section to bear against the rails, and means to releasably secure the upper sections in place upon said base section.

' 6. A device of the character described comprising a base section consisting of: side bars intersecting to form a frame having arms extending from its corncrsto bear against rails in end to end relation thereto, said bars having webs of less height than the webs of the rails, upper renewable sections each having arms disposed in crossed relation to each other and having depending webs, said base having the webs of its bars thickened at their intersection to form chairs having flat upper faces and the arms of the upper section being thickened at their intersection to form blocks having fiat under faces and adapted to rest JESSE D. LASSWELL. [n s] 

